Comtrust has announced the launch of its personal digital certificates and its digital server certificates to provide PKI infrastructure to e-businesses and consumers in the region.

Comtrust, the e-commerce business unit of Etisalat, has announced the availability of its commercial digital certification services. The Comtrust User Certificate service provides Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) based certification to enable secure communications between businesses and individuals.

The certificates are available to UAE nationals and residents through online registration at www.comtrust.co.ae. They contain the name of the user, a public key for encrypting messages and a digital signature to authenticate the identity of the user as well as an expiry date and serial number. With a CCS, Internet users can prove their identity over the Internet and exchange secure transmissions via email with other CCS users.

Comtrust has also made its Digital Server Certificates commercially available. The digital certificates are aimed at e-businesses, and allow secure transactions on enabled websites using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. Both the server and user certificates are essential to building trust between e-businesses and customers in the region, according to Omran Sultan Al Owais, general manager of Comtrust. “The biggest single obstacle hindering the growth of e-commerce, not only in the region, but also globally, is building trust in the confidentiality and security of Internet transactions,” he said.